Life and Death, Fire and Ice
by God's-Nightmare
Summary: Yes, this is yet another Spuffy story where Buffy gets pregnant! Will she learn to accept Spike? Read to find out!BTW I apologize for the ridiculously short prologue. It was the only way I could get things going!R&R! RATED M BECAUSE I DON'T TRUST MYSELF!
1. Prologue

_Lol, just thought I'd mess you around with this ridiculously short prologue! But I've already written the first chappy, so I'll be updating soon, probably in about five mins..._

Prologue-The Beginning

Spike flicked through several TV channels, although nothing caught his attention. He knew that Buffy would be here soon,to do her usual 'routine', but he knew it'd irritate her if she thought he didn't care. He'd probably through a few taunts at her and she'd punch him and storm out, like always.

He was just settling down to watch a Passions marathon, when the door of the crypt creaked. He smirked and turned around.

She was stood at the door, her shoulders sagging and her breath coming in gasps.

"Buffy?" Spike said tentatively, walking to her.

"Spike." She began, staring at her feet. "I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter One Looks Can Be Decieving

_Lol, told you so! Aaanyway. Sorry for the shortness of this, but I'm going out for a bit with some friends, so..._

_Slightly fluffy and all that. I'm updating soon!_

_;) Enjoy._

Chapter One- Looks Can Be Decieving.

"Buffy, are you ok?" Willow knocked on the bathroom door-Buffy had been in there for about half an hour.

"No! I'm not here!" Buffy yelled back.

"Please, Buff, open up! Are you sick?"

There was silence.

"Buffy, if you don't open the door I'll...I'll have to blow it open!" Willow said uncertianly. When there was still no reply, she muttered a spell under her breath. There was a loud bang, and the bathroom door disappeared.

"Uh...Oops?" Willow said, going into the bathroom. Buffy was sat on the floor, hugging her knees.

"Hey, Will." Buffy said weakly.

"Sorry about the bathroom door." Willow smiled. "Are you okay, Buff? Your breakfast's getting cold."

Buffy moaned, leaning her head against the wall. "I'm not hungry." She said, closing her eyes.

"Oh." Willow wasn't sure what to say. Buffy's face was grey and she looked awful. "If it's a migrane or something, I found this really good spell that-" She paused. "Hey, Tara."

"Uh...Dawnie's having a little pancake accident downstairs...Can you go and help her out?" Tara's voice was light and even, but it was obvious that she was annoyed. Willow patted Buffy, hugged Tara and went downstairs.

"How are-" Tara began, but Buffy held up a pregnancy test before she could get the words out. "Ohh. You're..." She stopped."These things could be wrong, you know that."

Buffy shook her head.

"This is my third. They all came up with the same..." She paused, looking for the right words."Thing."

"Oh. If you wanted, I could do a spe-"

Buffy shook her head again, more emphatically this time.

"So is it..."She looked around as if there were invisible people, listening. "_Spike's_?"

"Who else's would it be?" Buffy asked, looking up.

"Does he know? Have you told him?"

"Yeah. He...I hit him."

_It had been more than that. She had hit him until his skin had turned purple, she had spat on him and told him that it was all his fault for ruining her life..._

"You...h-hit him?"

"I-I don't...Yeah, he was unconscious when I left." She sighed, and blinked back tears. "It's all his fault." She said.

"B-buffy, this could just be a spell that's gone wrong. It might not have anything to do with...with Spike. How could it?"

"Well, we..." Buffy didn't want to say it. "But he's a vampire. Vamps don't have...It's not..._alive_, is it? And...It's not like I did it because I...Because that's stupid, right? And..." She sniffed. She was trying to reassure herself more than anything at the moment. "You're right, it's probably just some spell gone wrong."

"If...If it is, trust me, there's nothing Will can't sort out." Tara said encouragingly, although she knew that it was most likely not a spell, she wasn't prepared to tell Buffy that. "Do you want to come down? Dawnie's trying to make pancakes."

"N-no...I've...I have to do something first."

It was dark in the crypt. Buffy knocked nervously, and when there was no answer, she opened the door.

"Spike?" She called. There was still no answer. She went inside.

Spike was sprawled on the stone coffin. He looked worse than she remembered. He was still dressed, his arms and legs hanging limply. There was dried blood on his face, and he had a black eye. She walked over to him, frightened. She'd never seen him look more corpse-like. The bruises on his arms were deep purple, and they made her want to scream. Had she really done that to him?

_Looks can be decieving._

She opened the plastic bag she had been carrying and produced a cloth from it. She dabbed at his face gently, feeling relieved when he groaned.

He looked better with his face clean, although the purple swelling around his eye remained. Buffy noticed this with a stab of guilt.

"Spike." She whispered. "Spike. I'm sorry. Tara says it's probably just some spell that's gone wrong...I shouldn't have...hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Spike moved so suddenly that he made her jump. He took her hand and groaned.

"Buffy?" He asked. He knew he should be annoyed, should want to rip her head off, but...

_Fair's fair. She said sorry, didn't she?_ He told himself.

"Been trainin', have you, pet? Some bruises I've got here." He said, struggling to sit up.

"I-"

"It's 'kay, luv, I've had worse." He smiled.

She swallowed.

"If I am..." She fell silent, but Spike knew what she meant, so she continued. "I'll need some help with things."

"Anythin' you need, pet. You know I'm here for you, no matter what."


	3. Chapter Two Facing up to the truth

_No sex in this chapter, you voyeuristic maniacs! Lots of fluff, though. Enjoy. Thanks for all the lovely reviews!_

Chapter Two-Facing up to the truth

_Buffy's palms were sweating._

_It always happened when she was nervous, ever since she could remember. She wiped them on her jeans and tried to compose her expression._

_Tara had looked up a spell that should explain whether she really was... Buffy didn't even want to think the word._

_"Okay, well, if you stay still...Then I should get an accurate reading." Tara told her reassuringly from behind a large spellbook._

_"If it's a spell...won't it..."_

_"It'll come out negative, although we're pretty certian it isn't a spell. Uh...Willow said she hadn't cast any...y-y'know, fertility spells or anything like that." Tara whispered the last part of the sentence, looking around fearfully, even though the house was empty except for them._

_Buffy nodded, her heart sinking._

_"Okay, here we go...I-it's effective as long as you stay still." She explained as Buffy yawned. She cleared her throat. "Confuto."_

_A blue-green ball of light hovered in the air for a minute or two, twinkling in the light. It sparkled and glittered around Buffy's head, then disappeared._

_"W-what did that mean? Why did it disappear like that?" Buffy demanded anxiously._

_"W-well...It should have ejected any spell." Tara said slowly. "If there was one." She added uncertianly._

_"Was there? Is it gone now?" Buffy asked again._

_"I-I...It's positive." Tara said quietly._

_"Positive?" _

Buffy didn't eat anything at dinner.

"So, how was Buffy's health check spell?" Willow asked cheerfully. Buffy stared at her and said nothing.

"I-it was fine!" Tara sounded overly-cheerful.

"So Buffy hasn't got a disease?" Dawn asked jokingly.

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but Tara said quickly:

"S-she's got a cold, because of...magical fumes from some spell or other. So she'll just sneeze stars for a while."

Willow looked sympathetic.

"Aww, it's okay, Buff, I've had one of those before. Not good in public, but great as a party trick." She said, while Dawn laughed.

Buffy stood up.

"Where-?"

"Patrolling." She said quickly, pulling on a jacket.

"Buffy, I don't think-" Tara began, looking concerned.

"See you all later!" Buffy called, and left, crying only when the door was shut behind her.

Spike was sat at a twenty-four hour restaurant, drinking coffee at an outside table. It was only seven o'clock, and it was dark already.

There was a woman with a small baby sat at the table next to his, and he couldn't take his eyes off it. He watched the way it laughed and dribbled yoghurt down it's chin, smiling to himself.

He shook himself mentally, downed the rest of his drink, and went back to his crypt.

Buffy was on his doorstep,the tears streaming down her face.

He ran over to her and held her as close to him as possible.

"Shh, pet, it's okay." He murmured, kissing her forehead.

"It's not okay!" She said, trying to push him away. "I'm..._pregnant_ and it's all your fault!" She pushed him again, but this time, he just ignored her and held her tighter.

She pounded her fists on his chest, realising that he wasn't going to let her go. She rested her head on his chest, suddenly feeling exhausted with the effort.

"It's all your fault." She sniffed weakly, looking up at him.

"I should soddin' well hope so, luv." He grinned, and she laughed in a watery sort of way. "How-"

"I don't know. Tara did a spell, and that was positive, and then..."

"She knows?"

Buffy inclined her head slightly, sighing and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Have you told...the rest of them?"

"No. I think Xander might come 'round and stake you if he knew."

Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Seems to me like you'd be better off without the Big Bad around to screw stuff up, pet."

Buffy smiled.

"I think it's a bit late for that, Spike. After all, it was the screwing that got us here in the first place."

Spike looked surprised at her choice of words.

"Besides, it wasn't that bad. _You're_ not that bad." She looked up at him and traced the yellowing bruise around his eye with a gentle finger.

"Not that bad? Is that it?" Spike said quietly, melting into her touch.

"What did you expect? 'Oh, Spike, you're amazing, take me now!'" She laughed. "I'm not the BuffyBot."

"'Take me now'?" Spike said, raising an eyebrow again.

"Yeah, 'Take me now.'" Buffy repeated, raising her eyebrow straight back at him.

"If you say so, luv." Spike said, grinning wickedly.


	4. Chapter Three Talking

_I'm back again! Hope you enjoyed the last few chapters, cause here comes another one!_

_Less fluff in this, but lots of sexual tension, blah, blah, blah. **NO SEX** though, for all those people who are wondering. When there IS, I'll post a warning. _

_Anywho, see, you let me babble! tuts Just read it, would you? ; )_

Chapter Three - Talking

"Y-you're going to have to tell them." Tara pointed out quietly.

Buffy had just got back from Spike's to find Tara waiting for her. She sat down next to her, sighing, and looked at the clock.

Two a.m.

"I know." Buffy said, and there was quiet again. "I was...um...with him just now." She added.

"I guessed. W-was...Did you...'Talk'?" Tara asked, emphasizing the word 'talk' with air-quotes.

"Did I leap on top of him?" Buffy laughed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Nope. We just...talked."

_They had done more than just talking, and Buffy felt pathetic at not being able to be the responsible one out of them both. In fact, Spike had suggested she go home hours ago, to get some sleep, but she hadn't listened..._

"Buffy?"

"Oh, sorry, Tara." Buffy couldn't stop herself from blushing as she tried to stop thinking about Spike and his hands.

"I-I don't think Dawnie will have too much of a problem with...You and Spike." Tara said. "It's just..."

"Will, Xander and Giles, I know." Buffy said hurriedly. "I think Giles'd probably have me burned at the stake or something, or he'd think it was a spell."

"Anya?"

"She'll probably just ask me to describe everything in detail. She loves this sort of thing."

"H-how about...You tell Dawnie here, and then we can tell Giles and the others at the Magic Box tomorrow."

"Sounds good to-" Buffy began, but the rest of the sentence was obscured by a huge yawn.

"Y-you should get some sleep."

"You, too."

"Willow thinks I'm getting a glass of water, so I'll just..."

"Okay." Buffy called when she was halfway up the stairs.

She kicked her bedroom door open and collapsed onto the bed, fully clothed and asleep within seconds.

Spike got up and dressed in the day, for once. He had checked, and it was reasonably cloudy and wet enough for him to go outside without getting toasted.

He still had an umbrella, though. Just in case.

He pulled his boots on while he was sat on the sofa. It exuded Buffy's scent, and he breathed it in, closing his eyes. Then he shook himself out of it, and left the crypt.

When he climbed in through her window, she was asleep. He took off his boots and threw them back out of the window so that he didn't get mud on the carpet, and watched her.

She would move every so often, to scratch her nose or stretch her feet. He wondered vaguely what she was dreaming about, then went out of her room and walked downstairs, knowing that it was too early for any of them to be awake.

He was wrong.

_Bollocks._

Willow, Tara and Dawn were sat in the kitchen, staring at him.

"What?" He said moodily, acting as if it was the most normal thing in the world to be caught in someone else's house with bare feet.

"How did you get in?" Willow demanded, standing up.

"None of your business." He coughed. "Um...Need to talk to..." He muttered, indicating Tara.

"O-ok." Tara stammered, and followed him out of the kitchen.

"She said you knew." Spike said immediately.

"Y-yeah."

"I need your help." He said quickly. He always hated asking for someone else's help, seeing as he liked to seem independent, and he cringed at how pathetic he sounded. "I don't know much 'bout kids. I mean, not the important stuff."

"O-oh."

"And...I need to know some stuff so I can make sure Buffy isn't doin' anythin' she shouldn't..."

Tara sighed.

"She doesn't even know if she's going to keep it yet." She told him.

"What?" Spike looked frantic. "But...She couldn't...she wouldn't, would she?"

"Why don't you go and ask her?" Tara said quietly.

Spike padded quietly upstairs and went into her room again. He slowly eased himself on the bed next to her, draping his arm across her shoulders gently.

"Mornin', luv." He whispered into her ear. She groaned, stretched, and turned around to face him.

"Spike?"

"I'm here." He said soothingly, and she propped herself up on her elbow so that they were eye to eye.

"How did you get-" She began, then remembered that she had been too tired to close the window last night.

"Never get rid of me, pet." He grinned, and she smiled.

"You're my alarm clock." She told him. "My pretty-"

"Pretty?" Spike interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "'m not pretty, pet."

"Yes you are." Buffy said, and he tickled her lightly on the stomach. "Ok, stop!" She giggled. "You're..." She kissed her hand and pressed it onto his forehead. "Mine." She finished.

Spike pulled her closer to him, until they were nose to nose.

"I love you." He murmured.

"Mmmhm." Buffy murmured, so close to him that she couldn't concentrate. Slowly, she ran her fingers lightly downwards from his stomach, causing him to moan. He caught her hand before she could do anything else, and she pouted at him.

"Buffy." He whispered, swallowing. He knew he should ask her about the baby, but...

"I'm going to keep it." Buffy said slowly.

"How did you-?"

"Heard you and Tara talking." She said simply. "It's not normal for this sort of thing to happen, and..." She stopped. "It's special. And...if I did do it, I'd probably wonder about what we could have had..."

Spike kissed her on the nose, and she laughed.

"So..."

"We're going to have a baby." Buffy said.

"You're sure the Big Bad is capable of bein' a father, luv?"

"Never been more sure of anything." She said, kissing him with obvious passion.

They stopped for breath eventually, and Buffy felt the desire creep up her spine.

"We can't." Spike gasped, almost as if he had read her mind.

Buffy pouted and tried to look sad, but he tickled her again, running his fingers lightly across her stomach, and she couldn't suppress a smile.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." She sighed. "I'm a mess."

"Yeah, they'll probably wonder what I've done to you, luv." Spike said, standing up.

"Nothing, unfortunately." Buffy said, and, after giving him one last kiss, went to have a shower.

Spike sat on the bed, taking a look around him. There was the usual girly clutter on the dressing table, face creams and perfume and makeup... He uncapped a pot of foundation and grimaced at it's sickly sweet scent.

Then there was...A diary. He ran his fingers over the cover, wondering if she'd mind if he took a quick look...

Well, it was a bit obvious, it practically advertised itself, with:

_This diary belongs to Buffy Anne Summers. _

written on the cover.

He sighed and opened it at a random page.

_and then Mom asked if I'd been in a fight again. Well, duh! So I told her I'd fallen over and then she was all sympathetic, so it was no big..._

That was obviously an early entry. He flipped forwards, looking for his name.

_Willow says I should give Spike a chance, seeing as it's not his fault that he's in love with me. I told Riley and he just laughed and said the only chance Spike deserved was to be a vampire dartboard. I got annoyed with him, then, and left him at the cafe by himself. He really pisses me off sometimes..._

Spike grinned, and turned the page.

_Sometimes I think I should just stake him to wipe that stupid smirk off his face, and other times I almost feel like I..._like_ him. I know it's ridiculous, like Angel all over again, but Spike is nothing like Angel. He's bad, and proud of it, not like Angel, who, as much as it SHOULD pain me to say it, was a bit of a wimp when it came to practically anything!_

_And he said thanks after EVERYTHING! Even those times when it's sort of inappropriate to talk, he'd just say it! I mean, I understood the redemption thing, but that was just way, _way_ OTT._

_I can't imagine Spike saying thankyou for anything! He'd probably just do it, no questions asked..._

There was a noise at the door and Spike turned around guiltily.

Buffy was in the doorway, wearing jeans and a black camisole, and raising her eyebrow at him.

"What did you read?" She asked, smiling.

"Did Peaches really say thankyou after everything?" Spike asked.

"You read _that _bit?" Buffy said, walking over to him.

"Yeah. And you're right pet, I do do it with no questions asked." He growled.


End file.
